Monthly Archives: June 2007

Setting the time on a wristwatch, for instance, shouldn’t be that hard; on old analog wristwatches, it basically involved pulling out a knob, twisting it until the watch showed the correct time, and pushing the knob back in again. But on newer digital wristwatches—ones that claim to be more powerful and feature-loaded than their analog counterparts—it involves pressing a series of buttons in a hard-to-remember, often unforgiving order. Most people dread setting the time on their digital watches, and for good reason.

A great modification of the standard Jansport work horse backpack. “This is part of the limited edition line made for Jansport. This bag came with a box of chalk and you could actually write on it!” Made by Fabric Horse.

The popularity of the Apple Inc. product is easy to see every day, in newspaper headlines and on the cover of magazines, including Business Next, which says a lot about the other reason the handset is so popular in Taiwan. Taiwanese companies play a vital role in the production of the device, and rumors of which company is making what component on the iPhone are moving stock prices daily in Taiwan. Apple is sourcing a number of parts from the island, and has asked iPod manufacturer Hon Hai Precision Industry Co. Ltd. to assemble the iPhones in China, analysts say.

I like the retro styling of this messenger bag. Alas the main fabric is polyester (which may be a good thing) and not canvas but with a great deal of leather trim. One large compartment with a padded laptop sleeve. Watch that handle if you are carrying a heavy load. $49.00US at Eastern Mountain Sports.

Both of these products perform exactly the same function for exactly the same product but with a $265.00US difference between the two. While there are some obvious refinements apparent in the Floater, it’s pretty hard to justify the difference in price.Floater

If you connect your notebook computer to a large screen, at work or home, Floater is designed for you. It combines high technology with elegant styling. Close your MacBook pro, connect a keyboard, a screen and a mouse, and you have created a perfect working environment.
The Floater is machined from a single block of aluminum, which lends it great stability and optimum cooling power by spreading the heat around.
The two small panels around your computer are of minimal height and width, but sufficient to meet the product’s two requirements; to hold your computer perfectly, and to let you set it up as easily as possible.

Features: The base of the unit is covered in a nonskid material keeping your laptop secure.
Carefully selected materials prevent scratching of your Mac Book. The interior surfaces that come in contact with your lap top are covered in scratch resistant polymer.The Stand is adjustable to notebooks measuring 1 to 1.5 inches wide.
MacBook and Power Book G4 series are all compatible. The adjustable feature allows for utilization with most PC notebooks as well.

MacBook and Power Book G4 series are all compatible. The adjustable feature allows for utilization with most PC notebooks as well. $40.00USFloater & Power Support

The sides of these cardbox features a grid of perforated discs that you can punch out to create patterns, text, numbers, or symbols. Available in a number of different colours. Nice! Designed in London by Graphic Thought Facility.MeBox

Dyson, an English entrepreneur, has earned a small fortune and an outsize reputation as an inventor based on a simple principle. “I like frustration,” he says. “I like seeing things in everyday life that don’t work very well and try to make them better.” His company, privately held Dyson Appliances Ltd., has the leading vacuum cleaner brand in the U.S., Britain, and Japan, with annual revenues topping $1 billion.
He went to art school, where he discovered an affinity for product design and the iconoclastic ideas of futurist R. Buckminster Fuller. Then he attended engineering school, where he learned the disciplines an inventor needs to cross the bridge separating concept and finished product. He worked as an engineer in a corporation until he began dreaming up products on his own.

I like Michael Lopp’s site. I usually hate anything that gets in the way of whatever task I am trying to accomplish but the introduction holds your attention and is quite effective in selling the book. I know allot of people who could benefit from reading this – would sending an anonymous gift be inappropriate?Managing Humans – the site and Managing Humans – the book.

Usually bags or cases are designed to protect their contents from damage. The Abitax Key Case does the opposite. By wrapping your keys in wool it protects the other objects in your pocket or bag from the seemingly inevitable scratches that keys inflict. The case comes in a number of possible bright colour choices which if you are like me might help reduce the constant last minute key hunt. ABITAX is a top Japanese accessory brand located in Minami Aoyama, Tokyo. More here (translated).

But the bigger achievement is the software. It’s fast, beautiful, menu-free, and dead simple to operate. You can’t get lost, because the solitary physical button below the screen always opens the Home page, arrayed with icons for the iPhone’s 16 functions.

We have been testing the iPhone for two weeks, in multiple usage scenarios, in cities across the country. Our verdict is that, despite some flaws and feature omissions, the iPhone is, on balance, a beautiful and breakthrough handheld computer. Its software, especially, sets a new bar for the smart-phone industry, and its clever finger-touch interface, which dispenses with a stylus and most buttons, works well, though it sometimes adds steps to common functions.
The iPhone’s most controversial feature, the omission of a physical keyboard in favor of a virtual keyboard on the screen, turned out in our tests to be a nonissue, despite our deep initial skepticism. After five days of use, Walt – who did most of the testing for this review – was able to type on it as quickly and accurately as he could on the Palm Treo he has used for years.

Popwuping is a guide to mobile culture and mobile lifestyle. Everyday I sift through the most interesting artifacts, reports, trends and insights, trying to make sense of an increasingly mobile society and share what inspires me.